Lost Girls
by MistressSymone
Summary: It's been six months since Damon's sister Mia and his girlfriend Katherine were assumed dead. His life lost its purpose; the two most important women in his life vanished and with them his heart followed. But there's still hope. There is someone out there that still believes they're alive, and together they begin their search for the lost girls. AU
1. Illusions of My Mind

Chapter 1: Illusions of My Mind

Damon woke up with beads of sweat lining the crown of his forehead. It was the fourth day this week he woke up from a nightmare. He wiped his face, and got out of bed ambling to the kitchen for a cold glass of water. Ever since they left him he'd been having nightmares of how he could have stopped it, but no matter what he did, the risks he took…they were still gone.

While sitting at the island in his loft apartment, the moonlight cast a beam over a picture of them. They were the best of friends; Mia and Katherine. He smiled sadly. It was taken months before they disappeared, both of them happily posing; Mia with her big smile, and Katherine puckering a kiss for Damon, who was taking the picture.

Finishing his drink quickly, Damon put the glass in the sink and decided to get an early start on his day by taking a shower. He didn't need to be at the Site office until 6:00am but he figured he might as well get all the paperwork sorted out before the crew showed up.

Damon was never interested in the family business. Stocks and shares meant nothing to him…he wanted to get his hands dirty. Literally dirty, not figuratively like his Father and Uncle did, laundering money through the business' charity division. Damon preferred to work hard for the money he earned, and his dedication to his own contracting business was proof of that.

He threw on his jeans and white t-shirt, grabbing his hard hat, vest and stepped into his work boots by the door. He grabbed an energy bar for breakfast and went down the elevator to the car park where his truck was. 'Salvatore Contracting' was scrawled across the side in white over the black coat, and equipment was loaded in the trunk. This was his everyday routine, Sunday through Saturday. Get up and go to work for 6am, leave site at 6pm have a drink or ten at the pub, stumble home, eat, sleep, repeat. _Everyday_.

It was the only way to get his mind off of the two girls. Work and alcohol were his crutches. It had been two years since they went missing…and about six months ago they had been assumed dead.

Damon spent most of his day working with the crew, instead of sitting in his office. He took his frustrations out on demolition, focusing on the project at hand, and only stopped when the hot sun forced him to drink. He was working himself to exhaustion, hoping that it would make him sleep easier, but his efforts were fruitless. It was nearly 7pm by the time his day was over, truck parked in his garage, Damon walked down the street and he found his usual spot at Bree's Pub at the bar.

Bree sauntered over and moved the bourbon she had already prepared from behind the counter to sit in front of him. "You're late today." She commented wiping the counter.

"Yeah." He mumbled in response. Bree was used to his short one word answers and never questioned him. She knew enough about the man to know that he had a lot of hurt.

Bree nodded. "Let me know when you're ready for another." She moved to the other side of the bar to take the order of another customer.

Damon sighed heavily looking into the bottom of his glass like he was waiting for it to swallow him whole. He was living his life in pointless routine of self-destruction. Was this even really living? He couldn't even remember the last time he made a connection with someone, whether it be sexual, emotional or otherwise. He hadn't even spoken to his own mother in three months. She had been devastated after hearing the news about her only daughter…but Damon had lost them both.

The love of his life and his baby sister…gone. He didn't even think he could feel anymore. He was just numb.

It didn't take him long to polish off his bourbon and Damon caught Bree's gaze and tapped his glass, signally that he was 'ready'. "Thanks." He added. "I'm gonna leave you a nice tip." It was uncharacteristic of him to say more than a few words at a time to her, so naturally Bree was surprised.

Her brows rose. "He speaks!" she teased. "And you always do." She threw a wink at him and poured him an extra shot. "On the house." She moved about flirting with the male customers, laughing and joking with them.

It had been a long time since he laughed like that. Mia was so funny. She always had a quick quip or a witty retort…even when she wasn't trying to be funny she would make him laugh. She had to get it from him.

Damon stayed at the bar until 9:50pm. He was smashed…just the way he liked it. Paying his large bill, that included probably the most deliciously greasy burger he'd ever had, Damon made his way home promptly passing out on the couch, with his shoes still on.

…

It was probably one of the rougher mornings he'd had recently, but it didn't stop him from getting up when his alarm sounded. It took him a minute to find the motivation to turn it off, before rolling off the couch.

Damon left a trail of clothes behind his as he headed for the shower, moving on auto pilot. He let the water droplets rain over his face as if washing last night's drunken stupor from his skin. He was pretty sure he made a completely inappropriate suggestion to a leggy blonde that slipped into the seat beside him. He couldn't even remember her face. He made the water scalding hot, forcing memories away from behind his eyes.

_Damon pounded on the bathroom door that connected his room to his sister's. Why couldn't he have the room with its own bathroom? He was the oldest! But in a way it was easier for him to keep an eye on her. "Seriously Mia! Open the damn door, you've been in there for over an hour!" he bellowed through the thick wooded barrier. _

_Mia yanked the door open seconds later. "We're getting ready…there's a huge party at Lucy's tonight. It's important we look amazing." She explained in her enthusiastic way, a broad smile putting dimples in her cheeks. _

_Damon stared out her outfit in disapproval. She was wearing a short black dress that flowed slightly at the bottom, giving it a flirty lift, black strappy heels with flashy gems covering the strips holding her foot in place and a long pendant necklace that fell down the plunging neckline. Her short black bob was parted so her bangs rested on an angle over one eye and fell straight with a blunt cut that was slightly shorter in the back and longer in the front. She had cut it about a week ago because 'it made her look more mature'. _

_That's when he saw her. Katherine was standing behind her applying lipstick in the mirror. She was wearing a tight wine-red strapless dress that stopped two inches before her knee with a black lace hem around the edge of the skirt. She topped it with matching black lace and satin pumps that accentuated her long legs. But oddly what he loved the most was her hair; it fell in perfectly curled locks that framed her face and cascaded down her back and shoulders like a waterfall of chocolate spirals. He immediately wanted to run his fingers through it. Damon caught her glancing at him out of the corner of her smoky eye slyly, and blessed her with one of his infamous smirks. _

_Mia's face scrunched in disgust and she slapped him across the chest. "Ew, stop being a creep! Don't you have a date to get ready for?" she stated cheekily. _

_Damon's eyes didn't leave Katherine's. "Unfortunately." He drawled it out while his eyes drank her in. He winked when a light blush colored her cheeks and she hid a smile. As he headed back into his room he called over his shoulder. "Have a good night ladies…and Mia, there is no way you're leaving this house looking like that!" he heard her growl in frustration before slamming the door._

Damon shut the water off and grabbed a towel from the rack. That was just the beginning of his pursuit of Katherine Pierce. She didn't make it easy for him, which he found a happy challenge. Damon never found it difficult to pick up women; they threw themselves at him. His most difficult problem when it came to women was which one he'd take home first.

But when it came to Katherine, he had broken every rule he made for himself.

8. No dates

7. Never get jealous

6. No gifts

5. Never meet her parents

4. Never let her meet _your_ parents

3. No sleepovers

No weekend getaways

And last but not least…

NO usage WHATSOEVER of the 'L' Word.

It took Damon all of three months to tell her he loved her; his biggest and most important rule broken by one unexpected brunette beauty. He was somewhat surprised when she didn't waste any time in enthusiastically returning the words with a simple smile, like she heard them from him a million times before. It was a shock to no one that he was in love, the way he looked at her made it obvious to anyone with eyes.

They were the 'it' couple. The couple you didn't want to be the third wheel with, the couple that always had to touch each other in some way, the couple that used to make him sick before she came along; together for six years, practically inseparable and completely in love. Of course they had their fights like anyone else. She would be stubborn and go against him and Damon would lash out and drink himself stupid before coming home to 'make it up to her'. She could never resist him, and he could never have enough of her.

Damon missed her like crazy. Living in the apartment they once shared; seeing her sitting on the window bay overlooking the city as she read, or curled up in the corner of the couch watching TV…it was like losing his other half. Now he just seemed to wander through life aimlessly.

His day went by as it usually did and he sighed in relief when he finally sat in his barstool at Bree's. She placed a bourbon in front of him to start his night. Sipping it casually, he watched people filter in and out cheerfully either happy to be off work or in excitement to meet their friends, lovers or dates.

Damon envied them. He had nothing to look forward to at the end of his day except a bottle.

Five bourbons and two hours later, and Damon was nearly ready to go home.

"Do you mind if I sit here?" A voice that sounded hauntingly familiar spoke quietly from beside him. Damon took his time turning to look at her, thinking he may be dreaming or completely insane. When he finally let his eyes settle on the woman, he thought he was indeed insane.

She looked like Katherine; not exactly like her but almost identical. There was a small beauty mark beside her right eye that Katherine didn't have and her cheeks were a little fuller and her hair was long and fell straight in voluminous layers in contrast to Kat's curls.

Damon noticed her uncomfortably shift her feet under his intense scrutiny. "No…" he stated gruffly. "Go ahead." He pulled his gaze away from her and told himself that now would be a good time to leave, but instead found himself reaching over the bar and grabbing the scotch, generously pouring himself a glass of something harder. His mind was subconsciously torturing him by conjuring up an image of his dead ex-girlfriend and the idiot that he was wanted to indulge in it. With his luck it was probably the blonde from last night ready to take him up on his offer.

She laughed in a way that pulled at his heart strings. She _sounded_ like her. "Aren't you supposed to wait for the bartender to do that?"

He swirled it in the tumbler and gulped half of it down. "I'm a regular."

She nodded and caught Bree's attention as she walked by. "Oh, can I get a long island please?"

Bree stopped noticing her for the first time and stared at her in awe for a moment before glancing at Damon, who was completely engrossed in staring down at his drink. "Um sure…right away." She quickly made the drink with practiced ease and expertise and set it down in front of her.

"Thank you." The woman said with a smile. "Hey, you wouldn't happen to know where I could find Damon Salvatore, would you? I heard he comes here."

Bree cast the man in question a subtle glance, and Damon's heart pounded.

_Why would she be looking for me?_ Damon found himself piping up before she could say anything. "Only all the time." It effectively relieved the awkward silence and allowed Bree to move to the other end of the bar unnoticed.

She glanced at him in surprise her brows raise high on her forehead. "You know him?"

He nodded slowly. He was drunk enough to find the situation amusing. He would never remember it tomorrow. "Yup, God only knows why you'd be looking for him…he's a dick." He managed to articulate around his drunken slur.

A frown marred her face. "Well I was hoping he could help me with something."

Damon allowed himself a chuckle. "Don't know how much help he'll be…" he leaned in conspiringly. "He's a little drunk."

It took her a moment to realize that he was talking about himself and when she did her eyes widened. "_You're_ Damon Salvatore?" she nearly whispered.

He rolled his eyes up in exaggerated self-righteousness. "The one and only." Damon refused to look at her directly, mainly because he had convinced himself that this woman looked nothing like Katherine, but his alcohol induced brain combined with recent reminiscing was the cause for the illusion before him. "What can I do for you?" he drawled.

She eyed him warily. "My name's Elena…I was hoping you could tell me about my sister…Katherine."


	2. Taking a Page

Chapter 2: Taking a Page

"_What can I do for you?" he drawled._

_She eyed him warily. "My name's Elena…I was hoping you could tell me about my sister…Katherine."_

The glass he was holding nearly shattered in his grip, his fingertips white from the pressure. He couldn't lie to himself now. "You're her sister." He stated more to himself.

She forced a smile. "Like you couldn't tell? She probably hasn't mentioned me…shaming the family name an all." She teased at her own expense. "But you wouldn't happen to know where I could find her would you?"

Damon laughed despite the heaviness of the situation. "Nope and neither would anyone else."

Elena's forehead creased again at his blunt rebuttal. "What do you mean?"

Damon sighed heavily and tossed back the rest of his liquor. "God, you don't know. Look, turn around and go back to wherever you came from. What you're looking for isn't here anymore." He grumbled bitterly finally pinning her with intense blue orbs that were filled with resentment. He wished he was as oblivious as she was.

Elena scoffed and reeled back in shock at his sudden abrasiveness. "Wow…bitterness just rolls off you like a foul stench. If she left you that's no one's fault but your own…clearly she had a reason." She spat back defensively. She pulled a ten out of her purse and slapped in on the table preparing herself to leave.

Damon had to admit that she was right. He was very bitter. He was also very drunk. He stepped down off the stool and stood right in front of her so her knees were almost touching his thighs and so he stared down at her intimidatingly. "Don't assume things you _pretend_ to know about…Katherine didn't _leave_ me." He bit out lowly in quiet rage.

She surprised him by hopping off the stool and holding her ground by standing up to him. "Fine…look just point me in the right direction then I'll be on me way and you can go back to drinking your night away." She waved a hand in his direction flippantly.

Damon's eyes narrowed at her jab. "If I knew where she was I would have gone after her already." He sighed deeply losing his anger and letting it be replaced with sadness. "She's missing…her and my sister have been missing for two years, so I wouldn't get your hopes up." _Like I have._ He added mentally.

Elena visibly staggered. "What?" She stared off in shock and disbelief. Damon took her moment of pause as the opportunity to leave but she ran after him, her short heeled boots clicking on the hardwood floor hastily as she caught up with him outside. "Wait! What happened?"

Damon turned around reluctantly. "I don't know…no one does. One day they were just gone." He continued walking back to his loft hoping she would leave it at that but she followed, falling in step beside him.

"Do you have an idea what happened? We're they kidnapped or did they run away? Do you think they're still alive?" she rambled worriedly.

He stopped his stride and faced her. She was dressed in dark blue jeans and black ankle boots with a red tank and a light, black leather jacket. "Look, I can't help you Elena…I'm not the right person to be answering these questions, trust me."

When he continued walking Elena said something that stopped him in his tracks. "She told me about you. We never talked much, just a few letters while I was…" she trailed off. "She told me how much she loved you, that you were the one person that truly believed in her."

Damon closed his eyes remembering Katherine's whispers one night four years ago. _"You believe in me Damon, more than anyone ever has…I can't tell you how much I love you for that."_

"What's your point?" he grumbled miserably.

Elena stared him right in the face as if she were reading him like a book. "Do you believe she's still alive?"

He sighed and ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "I hope she is; I hope they both are…but the case has been on ice for six months. There's no evidence that even _leads_ to the possibility that they could be alive except for the fact that they never found their bodies." He nearly choked on the words.

Elena's gaze didn't waver. "Do you believe she's still alive?" she repeated.

"Yes!" he yelled angry at her persistence. "Yes, I believe, I _have_ to…it's the only thing keeping _me_ alive!" he rushed out for the first time showing some kind of emotion.

Elena smiled in a way Katherine always did when she was confident or had her mind set on something. "Then we'll find her."

…

Damon woke up for the first time in two years feeling okay. He didn't feel numb or miserable like he usually did; he felt hopeful. Elena gave him that the night before. She believed they were alive and instilled in him the hope of finally bringing them home.

He surprised himself when he left the job site after eight hours. He received a text from Elena halfway through the day asking him to meet her at the pub they met at. He found it awkward seeing Katherine's face after so long, especially knowing that it wasn't her, but he pushed it away knowing this was his best chance to get her back. He would do whatever he had to.

Damon didn't waste any time dropping his truck off at home, but instead drove straight to Bree's, entering and scanning the room for her. Elena was already seated at a booth with a pile of papers in front of her. She didn't seem to notice him until he slipped in the seat opposite hers. At his sudden arrival she scrambled to reorganize the letter and tucked them back into her purse.

"What's all that?" Damon asked, gesturing with a nod.

She quickly waved him off. "Oh, nothing…just work stuff." Her eyes glanced up to catch him staring at her intently. "This is weird for you, isn't it?"

Damon found himself wincing, "A little bit." He sat back in his seat and sighed heavily. "It's just…I didn't even know she had a sister and yet here you are." He eyed her curiously. "How could she not tell me about you?"

Elena sighed and smiled nervously. "It's a long story."

He waited for her to elaborate and when she didn't he cocked a brow. "Hm. So why me?"

"Sorry?"

Damon crossed his arms. "You came here looking for me. You must know that Isobel and John are here…so why me?"

Elena looked stunned, unable to give a response right away. "That's part of the long story." She answered slowly. "I'm not really on the best terms with them. They don't know that I'm here so I'd appreciate if you'd be discreet about all this."

He noticed how that thought worried her and decided to drop it. "So why were you looking for Katherine?"

"I hoped that she might have some information that I needed." She explained vaguely.

"What kind of information?" It made Damon feel apprehensive at her evasiveness. She didn't respond. "Look, if we're going to work together, I need to know these things."

Elena sighed shakily and reached back into her purse to pull out the crinkled papers. "These are letters that Katherine and I wrote each other between 2006 and 2011. They stopped coming after that and I never knew why." She looked down at them before handing them to him reluctantly. "There's a couple of mine that were sent back."

Damon's eyes ghosted over Kat's familiar loopy writing with a reminiscent smile. He flipped through the pages stopping at one when he saw an interesting letterhead. "Riverside Hospital? We're you sick?"

She managed a dry chuckle. "Nope…although that didn't stop everyone from thinking I was. Riverside is a Behavioral Health Care Center." She admitted sourly.

This caused him to frown. "Isn't that just a fancy way of saying-"

"Loony Bin? Yup. I was admitted after my twentieth birthday…so you can see why my parents and I aren't that close." Elena nervously raked a hand through her hair. This was the first time having to speak to someone that didn't know where she'd been for the past five years. She reached over the table and carefully took them back. "There's some personal things in there that I'd rather you not read." She explained.

Damon nodded with understanding and gazed at her with curiosity. "You don't look crazy to me."

Elena managed a laugh. "Thank you…sometimes I felt like I was. It's hard to stay sane when no one believes you. Plus five years in a padded room is enough to make anyone crazy." Her voice was tinged with bitterness and sarcasm although a smile was gracing her face.

He couldn't believe it. "You were there for _five years_? Why?"

"I saw something and no one believed me...they all thought I was crazy, even my parents. The only person that believed me was Katherine." Damon could tell she was keeping herself guarded. "That's why I need to believe in her too." Elena stated sullenly, but he could tell it was also a maneuver around the uncomfortable topic. "Doesn't it all seem a little suspicious to you? I had time to think about it last night; the police never found their bodies, there was no evidence that led to a kidnapping, no trace of Kat or Mia whatsoever…just vanished." She paused narrowing her eyes dubiously.

"Of course it's suspicious…" he leaned forward and lowered his voice to an impassioned whisper. "But what am I supposed to think? What's the other option Elena? UFO's? Sometimes I hope she just ran away; sick of having to put up with my shit, and Mia went with her because she hates our dad. At least they'd be alive…but the truth is Elena, I know they wouldn't, and I don't know if that makes me happy or sad." Damon closed his eyes and swallowed thickly, leaning back to rest his head on the seat back.

She understood where he was coming from. He would sacrifice his own happiness to protect someone he loved. "I thought you said you believed…that you had hope."

Damon didn't move his head from the rest, and focused his eyes on a spot of the ceiling. "I don't have much of anything anymore. God, I just wish she wasn't so stubborn and reckless, you know? Maybe they would have just done as I asked that night and take a cab." He huffed. They attended a party earlier that night and decided to walk the alcohol off instead of catching a cab.

Elena nearly snorted. "Katherine…reckless and stubborn? Are we talking about the same person?"

Damon rolled his eyes and tilted his head down to give her an odd look. "Sexy, impulsive little firecracker; always has an innuendo on the tip of her tongue? You following?" he described as if she was a child.

This was a surprise to her.

Growing up, Elena was always the one to take the fall when it came to her parents. It was easier, and she was usually the reason for the problem in the first place. Elena would go and do something careless and spontaneous being the more reckless out of the two of them and drag Katherine into it. Kat was the sheltered do-gooder that obeyed Isobel and John; the favorite, while Elena spent a lot of her time doing the exact opposite. It was too exhausting having to please Isobel, and Elena could never seem to do it anyway.

One night Katherine uncharacteristically got caught skinny dipping in the outdoor swimming pool by Town Hall with a couple of her bolder friends. When the Town Council heard about it, they immediately notified their parents. As Katherine was about to confess, prepared to receive any punishment that was sure to come, Elena took the blame. It was the _one _thing reckless that she had ever done, and the look on her face was enough to protect her from the wrath of her mother's disappointment. Elena knew that the stunt had embarrassed Isobel to no end and she would be a joke in the eyes of the Town Council. What was one more stunt for the reckless daughter to add to her record, as long as it wouldn't tarnish her sister's? Apparently it was the straw that broke their mother's back and Elena's one way ticket to the West Coast for Private School.

"Guess she decided to take more than one page." She mumbled more to herself.

2004:

_Katherine was hot on Elena's heels up the stairs to Elena's room. Once they were behind closed doors, she nearly ran into her sister's arms, embracing her in a tight hug. "I'm so sorry Elena, I didn't mean for this to happen. Maybe if I tell her I did it-" _

_Elena hugged her back, fully accepting her fate. "It's okay Kat…you didn't ask me to do it. I wanted to, I couldn't watch her rain her hell down on you for one silly little stunt. It's fine…I wanted out of here anyway." It was no secret that Elena hated this house and the tight leash her mother had on them. "What made you do it?" Elena asked her with a proud smile. "You have a hard time taking your clothes off in front of me…and it's nothing I haven't seen before." _

_Elena chuckled as Katherine's face flushed. "Well, I was taking a page out of your book." She explained further seeing the look of surprise on her sister's face. "You've always known how to have fun and be spontaneous…you're the fiery sex kitten and I'm the Virgin Mary…well I'm sick and tired of being the fucking Mary." _

_It was one of the first times Elena heard her swear so boldly and she couldn't contain her eruption of laughter. "Well you can take over, sister…I hear there's an opening. God, you are the only thing I'm gonna miss about this place." She pulled her back into a hug and kissed her cheek as she pulled away. "Come on, help me pack and maybe I'll leave you some outfits."_

Damon's brows furrowed in utter confusion. "What do you mean?" he inquired, pulling her from her memories.

She shook her head coming back to the present. "Um…nothing, never mind. Is there someone we can talk to about the case; the police, an investigator?"

"The sheriff, Liz Forbes headed the case, but they came up with nothing." He mumbled hopelessly.

Elena titled her head in thought. "What about her things?"

"What about them?"

"Maybe there's a clue as to where she could be in them." She offered twisting her ring around her thumb; a nervous habit of hers.

"A clue? Who are you Sherlock all of a sudden? You don't think I went through her things before…there's nothing there!" he insisted his voice rising with the heated statement.

"She used to journal when we were living together…do you know if she kept one recently?"

"Maybe. There's a bunch of her school papers and a few books in a box in the storage room. There could be one in there." He remembered seeing a black hardback when he was packing up her things.

Elena bit her lip. "Do you think we could check it out?"

Damon frowned in disapproval. "I'm not going through her journal. Whether she's here on not, that's something she kept private." He would never want to disrespect that.

"Even if it meant finding her?" she leaned across the table and lowered her voice. "What if there was something in there that could lead us to where she is?"

Damon realized something and his frown shifted. "You think they took off, don't you?"

She sighed and nodded. "Yes...I have my reasons."

He threw his hands up exasperated. "Why are you being so evasive? How am I supposed trust you when I _know_ you're keeping something from me?"

Elena looked around, noticing his voice was attracting some attention. "Keep your voice down." She chastised quietly. For a few moments she debated with herself; if she could be completely honest with him. "It's not something I can talk about here."


End file.
